Operation Purple Jewel

Operation Purple Jewel (5-9 September 1972) was a defensive military operation of the Vietnam War of South Vietnam and the United States. With Van Tien Dung's North Vietnamese troops advancing south on Hue City, the South Vietnamese Army and US Marine Corps defended Hue City against the communist forces and won the battle.

Background
The North Vietnamese Army (NVA) made great progress in their Easter Offensive in spring 1972 before they were pushed back by USAF air power and South Vietnamese Army (ARVN) troops, but they were still strong and could launch an offensive at will. In late 1972 the North Vietnamese Army under General Van Tien Dung launched an offensive against the city of Hue, defended by 6,000 ARVN and US troops. The 10,000 NVA troops were held back by the ARVN, and US troops were rushed to help them defend Hue City.

Operation
The American soldiers were efficient in holding off the North Vietnamese troops, destroying a SAM position, a camera set, and shooting down a spy plane of theirs. The North Vietnamese Army and US Marine Corps engaged in close-quarters street-to-street and building-to-building fighting with the result of an American victory. 750 NVA and 620 Americans and ARVN were killed, and Hue City was successfully defended.